Roasting Chestnuts

The Mythology of Maritime Political Culture

Roasting Chestnuts: The Mythology of Maritime Political Culture is a book about outdated political stereotypes. The Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia are often regarded as pre-modern hinterland in which corrupt practices and traditional loyalties continue to predominate. While this depiction of Maritime political life may, at one time, have been largely accurate, this is no longer the case. Employing a variety of indicators, this book argues that a new set of political images is needed to capture Maritime political reality today.

What emerges from the analysis is a picture of Maritime politics which no longer differs markedly from that which exists in the rest of Canada. Maritimers no longer exhibit remarkably low levels of political trust and efficacy, nor is there a regional political culture which transcends provincial boundaries. In fact, Maritime political elites have been innovators, providing radical departures from Canadian political norms.

A unique and innovative study, Roasting Chestnuts seeks to demystify Maritime politics and expose the flimsy basis for many of the region's lasting political stereotypes.

Studies devoted to regional politics in Canada are still scarce, and the Maritimes has often been treated summarily. With this volume, Ian Stewart takes a major remedial step. Many of the chapters have appeared in print already, but their collection under a new theme will be extremely helpful to students of regional politics and comparitive political culture.Peter Clancy, Canadian Journal of Political Science

Ian Stewart is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Acadia University.

Tables and Figures

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Simeon and Elkins Revisited: Regional Political Cultures in Canada

3 Across the Great Divide: The Nova Scotia-New Brunswick Boundary

4 Free-Floating Failure: The NDP in the Maritimes

5 On Faith Alone: Petty Electoral Corruption on Prince Edward Island

6 Liberals and Conservatives in Noval Scotia: Not a Case of Tweedledum and Tweedledee (with David Stewart)

7 Canada's First Boat People: The Legacy of the United Empire Loyalists